Fraud - How to Help Protect Yourself

Fraud is a term that has become part of our everyday vocabulary. You probably hear variations of fraud ranging from identity theft, online fraud, such as phishing and pharming, to offline fraud, including credit card, phone solicitations, print fraud, check scams, and mail fraud. You can help protect your personal information and accounts by using caution when providing confidential information. Also, by keeping yourself updated on the latest fraud alerts, you can help prevent yourself from becoming a victim.

Identity Theft
Identity theft is fraud committed or attempted use of identifying information of another persons without authority. It is the unlawful act of capturing, transferring, and/or using one or more pieces of another person's personal identifying information (including, but not limited to, name, address, driver's license, date of birth, Social Security number, account information, account login credentials, government passport number, employer or taxpayer identification number or family identifiers) and using or attempting to use that information to establish or take over a credit, deposit, or other financial account ("account") in that person's name.

Identity theft falls into one of two categories:

True name fraud - Establishing (or attempting to establish) an account(s) using another person’s identity.

Account takeover - Establishing (or attempting to establish) control of an existing account(s) without authority of the account holder. Account takeover does not include solely the posting of unauthorized transactions against an existing account, such as forged-maker signature, counterfeit, and credit card misuse.

Online Fraud

Phishing - Phishers use fraudulent emails or pop-up web pages that appear legitimate and are designed to deceive you into sharing personal or account information.

Pharming - Pharming occurs when you type in a web address and it redirects you to a fraudulent web site without your knowledge or consent. The web site will try to look similar to the legitimate site in hopes of capturing your confidential information.

Vishing - Vishing occurs when an email is sent asking you to call a fake phone number. The number is set up to sound like a legitimate financial institution’s phone system, prompting you to type in your 16 digit credit card number and expiration date to verify your information. Once you do that, however, you have just given the scammers all they need to have access to your account.

Credit Card Fraud
Credit card fraud can occur when someone takes your card and uses it without your consent. It can also happen when the card sits safely in your wallet.

Phone Solicitations
Scammers will attempt to randomly call people with hopes of luring them with cash gifts or prizes in exchange for personal account information.

Print Fraud
Scammers will use local and community newspapers to publish fake advertisements with special rates and offers. If clients call, they are asked for their personal information and for an advance payment before the transaction can be completed.

Check Scams
Scammers will overpay for an item purchased and ask the difference to be wired back. Most times the check was counterfeit or forged for a higher amount.

How to Identify Fraud

By keeping on top of your transactions, you can spot any suspicious activity. With online banking you can view your transactions 24/7.

Tips on how to help identify fraud:

Monitor your bank statements monthly.

Review your credit report at least once a year.

You are your own best protection against fraud. By staying informed, you can help protect your identity and accounts.

Phone Solicitations
Be wary of telephone scammers. If you receive a call from someone asking for personal and account information, call the company back using a phone number you know is legitimate.

Scammers use fraudulent contact information such as mailing addresses, phone and fax numbers and claim to be "third-party consultants." When unsuspecting consumers contact the scammers, the callers are asked to provide their personal and account information. Scammers then tell applicants that their loans have been approved but that they first need to make an advance payment or deposit before the loans can be advanced by wire transfer.

Check Scams
Scammers may deceive clients into responding to an illegitimate online or newspaper advertisement or may victimize clients by paying for goods with a stolen or counterfeit check for more than the agreed upon amount. The clients are then asked to return the overpayment either by a wire transfer or an official check.

Mail Fraud
Scammers may steal or tamper with your mail. Be sure to pick up the mail daily. Drop your mail in an official postal mailbox.

Help Protect Yourself from Fraud

At Summit Community Bank, the protection of all your assets - including your identity - is our top priority. There are many things you can do to help secure your identity and your accounts. Here are some tips to follow.

Identity Theft:

Don’t include your Social Security Number or driver’s license number on sensitive documents.

Don’t leave incoming mail lying around.

Drop your mail in an official postal mailbox.

Shred or destroy any junk mail before you throw it away.

Don’t respond to unsolicited requests for personal or account information.

Use a safe deposit box to protect important documents.

Review your credit report at least once a year.

Online Fraud:

Look beyond the logo. To make fraudulent emails or web sites appear real, scammers often include actual logos and images of legitimate companies. They also convey a sense of urgency, stating that if you fail to provide, update, or verify your personal or account information, access to your accounts will be suspended. It’s important that you look beyond the logo and not give out your information.

Use your spam filter. Many email services now have spam filters that minimize the amount of spam you receive. The filters can help you minimize the number of fraudulent emails in your inbox.

Type, don’t click. Even if you do open a suspicious email, don’t click on any links. By clicking on the links, you could unknowingly download a virus or spyware to your computer. Even if you think the email is legitimate, type web addresses into your browser instead of clicking on links. If the email is from an institution you do business with, use a bookmark that you have already created to visit the company’s web site.

Change your online passwords often. The rule of thumb is to change your password every 30 to 60 days. Be creative with your passwords – stay away from obvious passwords like your ZIP code, year of birth, or sensitive information such as your mother’s maiden name or your Social Security Number. Include symbols and/or upper and lower case letters so passwords cannot be easily intercepted.

Update your anti-virus and anti-spam software. By keeping all anti-virus and anti-spam software up to date on your computers, you make it more difficult for scammers to access your personal and account information. You can purchase anti-virus and anti-spyware software at major retail stores, as well as on the Internet.

How Scammers Obtain Your Email Address
Many scammers randomly generate email addresses - that's why you may have received fraudulent emails that appear to be from banks you do not have an account with. They also purchase mailing lists, obtain email addresses online from Web pages, chat rooms, online auctions, and directories or from illegitimate sources.

Summit Community Bank will never trade, rent, or sell your personal information - including email addresses - to anyone. For more information on our privacy policy, visit our Privacy section on this Web site.

If You Believe You May Be a Victim of Identity Theft, You Should:

Report the theft to each of these credit reporting agencies: Experian (888) 397-3742; Equifax (800) 525-6285; and TransUnion (800) 680-7289.

File a police report in your local jurisdiction and retain a report number and name of the officer with who you filed the report.

*Annual Percentage Yield (APY) may change after the account is opened. The APY and interest rate is accurate as of
6/7/2020.
The minimum balance to open the account is $500. Minimum balance to earn interest $1. Fees may reduce earnings. The interest Rate is
1.35%

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